Sash-fastener.



ISAAC 1V1. DEPPEN, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SASH-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 27, 1912.

Patented May 5, 1914. Serial No. 733,862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC M. DEPPEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sash-Fasteners; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to sash fasteners, and its object is to produce a rod-clamp fastener of this type so constructed that it can be quickly applied to any ordinary window by an unskilled person, and yet so small that it will hardly be visible by persons within the roombeing in effect an improvement upon my prior Patent Number 1,006,365, issued October 17, 1911.

The essential and important feature of the present invention resides in the employment of a rod screw threaded throughout its entire length, whereby when the remaining parts of the device are brought into interlocking engagement therewith the sashes are positively locked in a closed or partially closed position as may be desired.

These objects are carried out by constructing the device in the specific manner hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section through this device, showing it applied to the two sashes of a window, whereof the lower sash L has been raised so that the movable plate of the fastener disengages the fixed member attached to the upper sash. Fig. 2 is a similar section with the two sashes closed and locked by this device, and Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective details respectively of the lower and upper plates of the lower member of this fastener.

In the drawings the letter U designates the upper sash and L the lower sash, to oneside of the former of which is secured one member of this improved fastener and to the top rail of the lower sash is secured the other member thereof. The last-named member comprises a base plate 1 having openings 2 through which pass screws by which it is secured to the top rail of the lower sash L, and having upbent side ears 3 connected by a cross pin or rivet 4. The latter passes through perforations in downturned ears 5 at the sides of another plate 6 which is thus pivotally connected with the lower plate, a spring 7 coiled on said rod or rivet turning the forward end of the upper plate normally toward the corresponding end of the lower plate and therefore normally elevating its rearward or in nor end. By preference a set screw '8 is threaded through the rear end of the upper plate and bears upon the upper face of the lower plate as shown, so that by tightening up on this screw the fastener may be rigidly locked in a manner yet to be describec.

The lower plate extends some distance farther forward of the pivotal point 4 than the upper plate, and in its front end is cut a narrow slot 9 enlarged at its inner end into an upright round hole 10, the edges 11 of the hole and opposite sides of said slot being bent upward into a collar 10 and a channel as shown in Fig. 4c for a purpose yet to appear; and the corresponding end of the upper plate 6 is provided with a nick or notch 12 preferably beveled off so as to come to a sharp edge.

The upper member of this improved sash faster consists of a U-shaped rod whose body portion 21 is straight and upright and threaded as shown, whose lower leg 21 projects at right angles thereto and is provided with spurs 22, and whose upper leg 23 may have similar spurs 24 and stands parallel with the lower leg and at right angles to the body 20, but is reduced laterally as at 25 just adjacent its point of juncture therewith and the reduced portion by preference sharpened at its upper edge as at 26. I have described and shown this rod as threaded, but it is not absolutely necessary that the indentations or roughness thereof should be threads so long as they surround the rod along the entire length, and if the spurs 22 and 2d are provided the threads may be omitted from the extremities as the spurs are simply for holding the device to the upper sash.

As clearly shown the upright round rod 10 secured to one of the sashes is provided with a pointed end which is freely received y an opening formed in the base plate 1 and hingedly mounted upon the base plate is a plate 6 the inner end of which is adapted to engage with the rod in the manner hereinafter described, whereby the sashes may be adjusted in respect to one another,

but it is obvious that when it is desired to fasten the sashes either in a closed or partially closed position and the screw 8 forced against the base plate 1, the inner surface of the opening in the latter will be engaged with the rod when the hingedly secured plate 6 is forced into position by said screw 8.

In applying this fastener to a window, the

upper member is secured to the side rail of the upper sash as by driving its legs there into, and they are seated therein so far that the upright body 20 stands very near the face of the side rail of this sash but the reduced portion 25 is exposed. The other member is then secured to the top rail of the lower sash L by passing screws through the openings 2, and the two parts of this member are pivotally connected and springactuated in a manner above described. It will quite possibly be necessary to provide a small notch 1 in the outer edge of the cross rail of the lower sash L as indicated in Fig. 1, through which notch the upper member of this fastener moves when the window sashes are moved with respect to each other.

In use, the parts being connected as shown in the drawings, when the upper sash stands closed and the lower sash is brought down the collar 10 in the lower plate passes over the upper end of the body 20 and the slot 9 passes astride the reduced portion 25, the channel edges 11 at opposite sides of the slot having been purposely deflected upward to make the slot 9 and hole 10 rather conical so as to coact with the sharp edge 26 of said reduced portion in driving one member onto the other. The threaded or serrated outer face of the body 20 then engages the nick or notch 12 of the upper plate, and the latter is tilted on its pivot t against the tension of the spring 7 so as to permit the lower sash to be drawn down. Having brought it down to a closed position as seen in Fig. 2-, or to any point where the free edge of the upper plate 6 will engage the serrated face of the body 20, it is impossible to again raise the lower sash with respect to the upper or depress the upper sash with respect to the lower, without first having tripped the upper plate 6 by depressing its inner end or thumb piece; and in order to lock the parts positively together this tripping of the upper plate is rendered impossible by setting up the set screw 8 in a manner above sug gested. Thereafter it will be impossible to move the two sashes relatively in either direction. iVhen now it is desired to move either sash, the operator must first loosen the set screw, after which he depresses the thumb piece at the inner end of the plate 6 so that its nick disengages the threads or serrations in the body 20 of the upper member, and, still holding his finger on said thumb piece, he can raise and lower the lower sash as desired or can adjust the upper sash with respect thereto. If however he should raise the lower sash sufliciently to carry the lower member of this fastener above the upper end of the upper member, the opening 9, 10 passes across the reduced portion 25 of the upper leg 23, and the members are thoroughly disconnected and entirely separated, and thereafter the sashes can be moved up and down at will until the members reengage each other.

I would make all parts of metal, properly treated to prevent rust, and possibly ornamented so that the article will not be objeetionable in case it is so large as to be seen; but by having the lower member secured to the upper cross rail of the lower sash and the upper member rather short as proportionately shown in Fig. 1, it is quite possible that neither member will be visible to the eye of a person standing on the floor. Ordinarily it is not required that the sashes be fastened together when the window is open, or at least open more than a slight distance at top or bottom for ventilation purposes, but it is quite within the spirit of my invention to make the upright body portion 20 of the upper member long and even possibly to carry it throughout the height of the upper sash, or on the contrary to make it extremely short so that it will merely lock the window sashes together when they are both completely closed. I do not wish to be limited to the precise details further than as covered by the following claims.

I claim 1. A sash fastener having a screw threaded upright rod secured to one of the sashes and having an upper pointed end, a base plate secured to the upper edge of the adjacent sash and provided with upstanding lugs and an opening through which the rod passes, a plate hingedly secured to said lugs of the base plate at a suitable distance above the same, a coiled spring for operating said hinged plate in a position for gripping the rod and simultaneously forcing the same against the inner surface of the opening formed in the base plate, the engaging end of the hinged plate being provided with a notch beveled to a sharp edge for engage ment with the screw threaded rod, and a binding screw carried by the outer end of the hinged plate, the lower end of which screw is adapted to contact with the base plate for securely locking the sashes into position.

2. A sash fastener having a rod secured to one of the sashes, a base plate secured to the upper edge of the adjacent sash and provided with an opening through which said rod passes, a plate hingedly secured to said base plate, said rod being serrated on the side adjacent said hinged plate and on the side opposite thereto, a coil spring for operating said hinged plate to cause it to grip the rod and simultaneously force the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set same against the inner surface of the openmy hand in presence of two subscribing wit-v ing formed in the base plate and a binding nesses.

screwcarried by the outer end of the hinged ISAAC M. DEPPEN. 5 plate, the lower end of said screw being Witnesses:

adapted to contact with the base plate for se- ANDREW KRAUOHEUNQY,

surely locking the sashes in position. JOHN A. MCTIGHE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

